3.5

I DNFd this book. I was about 75% of the way through it and I just couldn't force myself to keep going. I love the premise, but the execution is just not for me.

I made it about a third of the way through before I quit. I really enjoyed Red Sparrow, but this book highlighted how poorly Matthews writes women. My favorite example was when the author went into detail about how her breasts flattened against the carpet as she did pushups. Very shallow characters and no storyline (as of a third of the way through).

Just as exciting as Red Sparrow.

4 1/2 Stars.

Matthews second book featuring the CIA's Nate Nash and Russian agent Dominika Egorova feels more densely plotted, and consequently a slower burn till the last hundred can't put the book down pages. Egorova is back in her homeland, quietly gathering information for the Americans working alongside a sadistic supervisor, who finds pleasure in others pain. But she's also drawn the attention of Putin himself, and suddenly the stakes are higher than ever, and Nate will do anything to keep her safe. Once again Matthews does a masterful job of detailing the intricacies of the spy world, and although at times the amount of secondary characters can feel a bit distracting, the real star of the book is Dominika, and with her Matthews has created a sophisticated, sexy, fiercely intelligent, and dynamic female protagonist who really gets to shine.

Builds on the first novel without rehashing old ideas. Tense, exciting, sexy, smart, and just the right level of convoluted. The inclusion of "ghosts" was odd, but not too distracting.

It's not often you find a series where the second book meets the impact of the first one, but 'Palace of Treason' is definitely it.

The book picks after months of no communication between Dominika and the US, and the novelty it introduces in comparison to the first book are additional spies and a bigger picture of how both Russia and the US leverages their moles. The first book was mainly focused on Dominika, MARBLE and Stephanie Bouchet, but in this one you can see a much bigger picture of the politics between the two countries, as well as international relationships between them and say Germany, Greece or Iran.

Another element that I found very interesting and potentially controversial was the depiction of Putin, and his interactions with Dominika. In 'Red Sparrow', he is a multidimensional character and we get more insight into his way of thinking and plotting. Moreover, Zyuganov becomes much more central to the narrative, and the relationships between different ranks are explained more intricately.

I was in the mood for a fast, exciting spy novel, and I got one! Palace of Treason is set in modern-day Moscow, Athens, DC & Paris, with really bad bad people and great heroines & heroes. Can't imagine that this won't become a movie. 2nd in a series that starts with Red Sparrow; you don't have to read the 1st one to enjoy this one. Looking forward to the next one.